AACTG Funding Renewed for Another 5 Years

BETHESDA, Md—The Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group (AACTG) will continue its research activities for another 5 years under a new grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. NIAID will provide the group $80 million in the first year of renewed funding.

“Among the future priorities for the AACTG are defining the most effective antiretroviral treatment strategies at each stage of HIV infection, developing new ways to prevent or treat opportunistic infections, and focusing on the growing problem of hepatitis C co-infection with HIV disease,” NIAID said in a news release announcing the new funding.

Researchers also will study the interaction between various anti-HIV drugs and seek to lessen metabolic abnormalities and other side effects associated with combination therapy. Other problems that AACTG scientists will address include the development of strategies to eliminate lingering reservoirs of HIV within the body, finding new ways to bolster the immune system in the presence of HIV, and the pursuit of promising leads to restoring immune function.

AACTG, with 32 clinical trial units, has been a leader in defining the standard of care for HIV-infected adults since its founding in 1987. Robert T. Schooley, MD, of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, chairs the group.